“Godzilla,” “Hard Day’s Night” in Metroparks in August

Beatles Paul McCartney (from left), George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon run in a scene from "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), which is being shown in August at Metroparks. Photo courtesy United Artists

That is, the original, uncut Japanese version of the sci-fi classic will be shown on a big screen under the stars in August at three Huron-Clinton Metroparks, along with the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” in a newly restored version.

The events celebrate the anniversaries of these two classic films, presented outdoors by The Detroit Film Theatre while its auditorium at the Detroit Institute of Arts is being renovated.

The movies will screen on Aug. 1 and 2 at Kensington Metropark in Milford; Aug. 8 and 9 at Stony Creek Metropark in Shelby Township; and Aug. 15 and 16 at Willow Metropark in New Boston.

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Shows begin each night at 8:45 p.m. with a short reel by award-winning Michigan student filmmakers presented by the Michigan Student Film Festival, an annual competition organized by Digital Arts, Film & Television, according to a press release. Films are free with park admission. For park information, visit www.metroparks.com or www.dia.org/dft.

This 60th anniversary presentation of “Godzilla” celebrates the monster movie that ushered in a new genre, remembered by many of us for campy acting and cheap rubber-suit effects.

But the original, known as “Gojira” in Japan, is a true horror classic of the nuclear age. Far from the Americanized version in which Raymond Burr was tacked on as a news reporter and 40 minutes were cut out, this original cut shows the real fear of people under seige. Directed by Ishiro Honda, the restored 1954 version of “Godzilla,” in Japanese with English subtitles, contains the scenes that were removed from American prints in the 1950s.

The black-and-white musical “A Hard Day’s Night,” which inspired the creation of TV’s “The Monkees,” was the big-screen debut of the Fab Four. The 50th anniversary restoration under the supervision of director Richard Lester, displays newly crisp picture and sound to add to the Beatles’ own electricity in 1964.

Described by Roger Ebert as “one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies,” “A Hard Day’s Night” features the Beatles classics “Tell Me Why,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “If I Fell” and “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You” as well as the title song, which began as a “Ringoism.” Drummer Ringo Starr, known for his distinctive turns of phrase, famously came out of a studio session proclaiming it “a hard day’s night,” thus inspiring the Lennon-McCartney song.

Filmed on location in and around London, “A Hard Day’s Night” is a fictionalized day-in-the-life story of the biggest rock band of the early 1960s. And, incidentally, it’s where George Harrison met his wife-to-be, Pattie Boyd. Look for her as a school girl in the train scenes.

The historic DFT auditorium will be closed for renovation of the air handling and lighting systems, reopening Oct. 10.

About the Author

At The Oakland Press since 1988, Nicole M. Robertson has covered city councils, schools, police and courts and worked the copy desk. In charge of Arts & Entertainment, only motorcycling is more fun. Reach the author at nicole.robertson@oakpress.com
or follow Nicole on Twitter: @OakPressMarquee.